This morning it was cool enough I decided to start a backyard project. We are going to lay 12" concrete paver blocks outside the basement walkout & under the deck. Area about 9'X4' so not too big. But I need to dig down 3" and keep it fairly level. I am bout 75% done w/ the digging, I can finish tomorrow. We will go buy the pavers and sand tonight or tomorrow. I sure hope it works out. Then I can think about getting a couple of planters and some plants. It is very dark & shady under there. There are some fern in the yard I can move.

Had the yard sale yesterday. It was cool outside, so it wasn't a bad day. DH got rid of a lot of his stuff. I managed to make enough to buy chicken feed. lol Put on a pair of pants today that I haven't worn in 2 years. This pre-op stuff is not bad. Going to Dollar Tree today for flip flops. Not doing much else.

More progress on the backyard project this morning. It is pretty hot outside now. I bought the rest of the materials and can finish during the week. Once the pavers are finished I need to clean up the dirt & mess, figure out plants and make it all look pretty (i.e. the "fun stuff".) Went to the garden and watered. Hubby said I owe him dinner (he contributed about 4 hours to this project - sheesh) so we are going out. I will save half to bring home.

Thanks Grammarbug! I enjoy doing the flowers, then I feel self conscious about it. On the one hand, I do it to keep costs down, but on the other hand, I really think mine look better than the florist's many times. I have done several funeral arrangements & I did the kids bridal bouquets, corsages & bouitoneers.
Good job on loosing! How soon until your surgery?
Saturday when I should have been working outside, I dumped three of my dresser drawers & went through my closet. I have two heaping laundry baskets of stuff to get rid of. I will do another pass through this fall. I don't go enough places to need so many clothes.
Dlrcpa- how is the project going?
I worked outside yesterday afternoon. I scrubbed down the steps for the pool & then we put them in. Then I scrubbed the back wall of our house. A whole new meaning to cleaning the house! I couldn't believe how filthy, but truthfully I think I clean it every year.
Went to church this morning, had lunch cooking in the oven - one of DH's pre made meatloaf from the freezer. This afternoon, been tidying up outside. Pulled a few weeds, planted another planter with all the left over annuals, watered, scrubbed the child sized picnic table, etc. I am going back out to plant several perennials I picked up, will also water my garden later.
DD 2 is bringing her two smaller kids over tomorrow to stay all night so she can take her two big kids to Kings Island Tuesday. Since I am taking my day off Tuesday i will have to work Friday. They will probably all come tomorrow, early enough to swim & have supper with us.
Everyone have a great evening!

Winkie--You make me tired with all that scrubbing. I have an above ground pool and I haven't been able to clean and use it for 2 years since my stroke. I was hoping to this year, but too many other things including my health. Next year I will be able to afford to get it done. My mom was a florist and I know how hard it can be. My surgery is next Monday.

I am working at the soup kitchen this morning. Going by the theatre and pick up my check on the way. Going to go make my final car payment. Oh, how good that sounds! I have a few other bills to pay. Making beef stew for DH tonight. Crazy in the summer, huh? Made it to Dollar Tree yesterday and got a 42 oz. can of Comet for 65 cents and 3 pairs of flips flops.
Hopefully get a little weeding done late this evening.

GB- great news getting the car paid off! Monday is coming fast, will there be recovery time that you will have limitations?
We use our pool a lot. I never thought I would like an above ground, but the house came with it. Later when it was so old, we replaced it with a new one. Living out here in the country, find myself scrubbing a lot of stuff. I have a pressure washer, but sometimes you just have to use a good scrub brush & some elbow grease!

I wish we would get some rain so the weeding would be easier. I did not get my perennials planted because I could not dig the dirt.
We watered the garden by carrying gallon jugs of water to the garden. I think we took about 20 gallons up, four at a time. I could have used the tractor & wagon, but counting it as exercise. I need my arms in better shape (among other things), so thought carrying water could count as weight training!
We actually have enough hose to go all the way up to the garden, but it would have taken longer to round them up & get them all connected. My DH is a little OCD with his hoses. He only likes one on the hose rack. SMH...
Kids will be coming soon for lunch & swim date, then the littles staying over.

My allergies have been killing me. Benadryl-induced sleep last night. I'm slow moving this morning. Working in the costume closet at the theatre and then at the food pantry this afternoon. Thawed ham out to make DH ham salad for sandwiches. Still haven't weeded anything since it was so hot yesterday. Going to try to get a little bit done this morning.

I posted a picture of the pavers under 2017 Frugal Challenge. Ignore the big pile of dirt, the fun part starts soon with plants and mulch, etc. Getting those concrete blocks level and the wood frame to fit well was a lot of trial & error. However the supplies cost was manageable and I don't mind labor. Hubby was happy when it was completed but complained a lot on Sunday.

This morning got groceries, completed fixing the wood frame and leveling blocks before supper w/ hubby's help. Going to read or listen to audiobook this evening. Watered garden Monday before supper. We might get rain (thunderstorms) Wednesday. I am going test a "sheet cake" and icing recipe Wednesday also. Recipe from the internet called for sour cream which I had to buy. Dog club picnic is 2 Saturdays away and I think I will take a cake and crock pot baked beans.

Our participants on this thread are dwindling... I suppose everyone is busy doing stuff rather than writing about it!

Dlrcpa, I bopped over to the other thread & looked at your picture. Your paver project is turning out nice! Make sure to post again when you do the landscaping.
I had DD2 & her 4 kids here Monday for lunch & dinner & swimming. The two littles stayed over & that went well. The three year old had never stayed anywhere overnight with out her mother, but I have had the one year old several times. I ended up sleeping with the 3yo. Tuesday we had a scavenger hunt, played in the baby pool, had a picnic, the. It stormed in PM so we went to the library. Finally took them to their parents around 9pm.
Wednesday I worked up a flower bed in the back of the house & pulled weeds while the ground was soft. Yesterday I finally planted the bleeding hearts, took down the canopy we were using for the kids' shade. Took down the baby pool.
We have spent a lot of time in the pool, but I make myself do something every day. Swept the hard floors while on the phone w/DD1, manage dishwasher on breaks from work.
My garden enjoyed the rain. Now if I can keep the varmits out! Something is digging up my plants, only one or two a night, but they don't eat them. I spread blood meal all over & that did not seem to help. DH is going to set a live trap & see what we get.
GB, I will wish you good luck now, on your surgery Monday, in case I am not on here this weekend!
Everyone have a great weekend!

GB I hope your surgery goes well to. Take it easy and tell other people their turn to wait on you.
I was at parents' all day Friday (using vacation at old job.) 3 more days of old job, use 2 days vacation next Thurs-Fri also. I am meeting friends at Starbucks Saturday AM (have a gift card to use up). Thinking of a new purse or work tote from Macy's. I have gift cards that would cover most/all of one item.
Then I will probably work on the landscaping. There is free mulch at the county pile again so will grab some of that if I get that far and weather cooperates. I watered at the garden Thursday evening. It could use some weeding. There are greens to pick.

Worked on patio project again Saturday & Sunday. Really just need a bit of mulch and something in the 2 planters I bought. It is hot & humid today. It is too hot to haul and spread the free mulch. I hope it is cooler one evening and I will do it then. I went to the plant nursery but did not buy anything for the planters. I will scrounge something free. Grocery shopped, made pumpkin bread, picked lettuce & celery leaves at garden, watered just a few plants. We should get rain Monday. I'll start laundry.

Hi everyone! Reading through the posts made me realize how long it had been since I'd been here. Been hot and humid so I've done stuff inside except for two days when I worked outside which gave me vertigo issues. Been okay for the last several days, though.

Trying to get DH to fix our tub so it will hold water. Like the commercial says, "I want a bath!" He has semi-promised to do it today. Also will spray for bugs. With the heat/humidity, flea issues are rampant, even though we use good flea meds from the vet. I need to vacuum, mop, change sheets, record some recent expenditures, and update calendar. I'm at the age and stage where if I don't write it down, it doesn't get remembered. I've always been that way, but now it's imperative. And then I have to remember to actually look at what I wrote!

For all you garden people: we're jealous. We planted two tomato plants and that's it for this year. DH is the gardener and he's doing so many house repairs that the garden just never happened.

DD and the fiance are enjoying the new jobs. Tomorrow DD has her first prenatal appointment. I'm going too and we're both excited. Too soon to find out the gender, but at least we'll see it on the sonogram and hopefully hear the heartbeat.

I'm at the age and stage where if I don't write it down, it doesn't get remembered. I've always been that way, but now it's imperative. And then I have to remember to actually look at what I wrote!

That would be me. I think I'm going to at the end or beginning of every month make a list of all those things I have good intentions of doing. I say good intentions because I will be the first to admit that doesn't always mean that they will get done. That will include things that normally would be what used to be called in the olden days "spring cleaning".... baseboards, curtains etc. Maybe I will stand a better chance of getting some of them done by doing this. Right now walking very far period is an issue.

I'll also put regular stuff on the list too but I'll make the list for the month so I can pick and choose from it according to how well my back and hip are doing.

Yes, the posters are dwindling.... sad. I'm guilty too. I read... just don't post much. It's looks like ALL the threads are dwindling. People join and post in the welcome and never see them again. I guess it's always been that way but more noticeable now with less new posts.

As for the weekend... I did get .. I think... 3 loads of bedding ( ours and baby dogs ) done and all put away but this last load that is in the washer now. Washed and has to still go in dryer. I have one more not started and hope to get it finished. Most of this is throws as we use them and also have for the furbabies.
Also put away a bunch on that ^%$ couch which is dwindling down believe it or not. A couple things on it went into the bags for Nu Hope ( like Goodwill or Salvation ) that I hope to take in this week. The bags have been sitting by the door for 2 weeks. So those will be outta here

All sheets etc washed, dried and back on beds.

I've got the one chicken breast, carrots and green beans boiled for the furbabies food for the week to mix with their other dog food.

Going to unload dishwasher and reload with what I have in the sink. Won't make a full load I don't believe. Will turn it on when it's full.

Have some items in kitchen that needs to go down to utility room where stockpile shelves are. Will take those down when I have to make the trip down anyway. Stairs kill my back/hip.

Need to go to the bank. Didn't want to leave the house but necessary.

That's all I'm going to list to do the rest of the day. Anything else is a plus.

Has anyone heard from Pinetree? I'm worried about her. FW is ok. Wish she'd get back on here.

Bank of America is THE godfather of Hell with Wells Fargo running neck and neck. When the world ends the only things that will be left are cockroaches, Walmart, Wells Fargo and Bank of America. Not necessarily in that order. The order remains to be seen.

I am also guilty of just reading and not posting. I think my life never changes and I get tired of saying the same things. Maybe i need to shake it up alittle so I have something exciting to report.

I have been keeping everything on a weekly list that I make on Sunday afternoon. Everything goes on and I cross off as it gets done. I celebrated yesterday because before I made the new list for this week I actually got everything done on the old list. First time in a long time but I still need to keep the list. It's funny how something so small made me feel so good.

Its been hot here but finally cooled back to 70's for a while. I did errands this morning (bank, library, grocery) I am keeping everything bare bones on spending because the medical is nickel and diming us lately. It can be worrysome at times but we need to be healthy. So I am using things up before buying again and then seeing if i really need to rebuy or can use something else.